Vertical-filing system.



J. B. PERRINE.

VERTICAL FILING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.31,1908. @jga Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SEEET l.

Q/ l @Y J. B. PERRINB. VERTICAL FILING SYSTEM. APPLIUATION FILED AUG. s1, 1908.

Jl/Ilm N 'vantages reference is to downwardly upon and towar loncfcomplete set Yof guidesl in the p JoHiI lis.. ifRri'iN-ialbr aiiiiiiai No. 914,452. f

To all 'whom 'it may -concerm' f Be it Aknown that 1, JorfN B: PERnnvE, a citizen of the United States, residin at Valaraiso, county'ofPorter, State of ndiana, have invented a certain new andA `useful lmprovement in Vertical-Filing Systems, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it ertains to make anduse the same, reference ein hadto the accompanying drawings, whic 1 form a part ofthisv specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a ling system wherebyl letters, bills, or other papers or the like may bey conveniently filed and in such a manner that anypaper which it may be desired to inspect may be instantly located. l 'f I i Afurther object of rn 1 invention is topro vide an indexed vertica filing system which shall have Lgreat' elasticity so as, to permit itto be adapte for use in filing any quantityI of papers or the likeand to be expanded or contracted to suit anygiven conditions. o o

The yvarious, 4features of novelty yv vhich characterize my invention will be hereinafter: pointed out with articularity in the claims, but for a full un erstandingof my invention and of its various `objects andadbe had tothe following detailed description takenin connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein:gy -Figure 51 is an exaggerated view looking' d the rear of an arran ement of guide members arranged in accor ance with the present invention.; Fig. 2 yis a front elevation lof the same arranged within a drawer or the like, the vfront wall of the drawer being removed and parts of the guides beingbroken away for the sake of' clearness; Fig. 3 is anedgeview of one of. the

' guides; Fig. 4 is a cross section on an enlarged scale throughy the index tab of one Yof the guides and that portion o f'theguide immediately` adj acent thereto;- and Fig. 5 shows fsitions which they occupy when in use.` l .y vReferring to the drawings, A indicates la f series lof guide` members whichv preferably,

though not :necessarily Iare Ain the' form of stiff cardsr: :.Projecting upwardly from the tops of these guide members at approximately i stratification@ Letters Patent. o p Application led August 31, 1908.` Serial No. 450,989.

'master .guides may two sets of guides made longer thanv the tabs on t Patente larch 9, 1909.`

the centers thereof are index tabsgr. In the arrangement shown there aretiventy six of these guide members, which l shall designate master guides, and the tabs are markedwth the letters of the alphabet. Any matter whichis to be indexed under the letter A will therefore be placed between the mast'eT guidesmarked A and B respectively, and matter which can be indexed under the letters B. will be placed between the two master guides marked B and C respectively.

In order to make the location of any desired matter easy and convenient it is o course necessary to provide much more deli` cate indexing than is afforded by the mere letters of the alphabet. Afurther refinement,

is obtained-by providing sub-master guides.

Fig. 1, while an B one of which is shown in 5. These subentire-set is shown in Fig..

made of heavy card-board or the like and at all events they are provided withindex tabs b. vThe sub-masterg'uides fare preferably of the same Vheight as the master guides so that the'tabs of bothV sets lie at the same elevation. .While all of the tabs on the master guides are preferably arranged vat the centers the tabs on thesub-master guides are `s tributed so that the tabs of an entire set. a pear distributedy across the entire width ofthe filing system in end to end relation with respect to each other, there being no tab at the center, however, so that the tabs on the do not interfere with each other, but stand out boldly and unobstructed. The tabs on the sub-master uides are intended to bear'the main hea as for example, the surnames of persons, an

for. this reason these tabs are referably e master In thearrangement shown the tabs guides.

distributed so on the sub-master guides are :that there are two on each side of the center.

The arrangement may, however, be varied to suit different conditions.

In Figs. 1 and 2 one of the -sub-master guides bearing the name Barnes is shown immediately inrear of thecorresponding master A:guide bearing the` index 13. A1` ranged immediately in reary of the sub-master guide: a series of supplementary guides C;

s of subjects also conveniently be of these "latter guides beiig provided with an `index tab c. These "lat-ter index tabs are adapted to bear sub-heads fallingl under. the general caption borne by the'submaster guide immediately in advance there-- of. 'ihus one of' the supplementary guides serves to separate from other matter` all. matter relating to Mrs. C. H. Barnes and there* fore Ithe corresponding index tab is marked Mrs C. II. In order that the index tabs on the supplementary guides' may not ob? struct the view of the index tabs on the master and sub-master guides, they are l v,} `rc'ferably arranged 'at ya 'somewhat lower `level, the 'supplementary guides being of less depth than the others. Because the tabs on the supplementary guides are belowr the main ta guides's'o as to form a series 'exten ing entirely across the Width of the file; and furthermore,'since the data on the tabs of the supplementary guides will usually be less than on' the tabs of the sub'.inaster guides the former may be made shorter. The su plementary guides may conveniently Ee made ini the form of folders, as indicated in Fig; 3, so'that all matter Whichis indexed under any particulary sup lementaryguide will be held in a' folder lan may beremoved from the le by simply removing the folder.

It may often happen that there Will be' dataisplaced upon one ofthe tabs of the.

sec'ondary'mas'ter guides.v p

It Will be seen 'thatany numberV of submaster gu'ides'may be: associated with any of the' master guides and any number rof supplementary guides may be---associated with 'each or any of the'sub-master guides 5 furthermore theremay be anydesired numi. y ber of the secondary sub-master guides associated With'each of the master guides7 so that'the'indexingof the matter to be filed` maybe carried out to any degree of refinement. ."Moreover theA guides need only be inserted as required so that when the matter to he iiled is not great the le' will be small, While as the matter to be filed increases the iile'itselffmay be enlarged correspondingly.

.The index tabs' are preferably so arranged that the, portions containing the Written or printed matter may be removed and re'- p'laced by' other portions' so that when it isl dex tabs arranged l possible to uti vvconveniently ,be made.-of clip s they may 'be' arranged u on the pearance fromthe' others,l

no longer; desired. to retain any Vparticular .matter in fthe' iile it may be .removed and-the index tab may bechangedso as to servel some othery ourpose7 thereby making lity lize the same set of guides over and over again. 'Io this end the tabs may s E of metal or 4other material secured to the guides by nieansof rivets F or otherwise, the clips being adapted to, receive slips G bearing the inscriptions. The clips may be provided with openings e through Which the inscriptions on the slips ap ear. l f

In Fig; 2 I have s own a-fle arranged in a box or drawer H lsuch as -is usuall employed for containing vertical files. t Will of course be understood, however, that a le may be ysupported in anyother suitablel While I-have described detail a sinl le preferred form of my invention I do not esire to be limited thereto since in its broader aspects my invention may take variousot er forms as Will be evident from theterms employed in the definitions *of vmy invention constituting the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention,y what I claim as new'and desireto secure 'by Letters Patent is: f f n Y I 1. In a vertical file, a group of master guides, a' ygroup -of sub-master guides arcertain of the sub-master guides being in the form of cards and others being 1n theform of folders, 'and 'a third group of guides associated with one of the' sub-master guides which -is in the form of a card, 'the' said third groupof guides 'being in the yform of folders, and all -of the index-tabs.

2."In a lvertical file, a group of master#- 'guides having index, tabs, 'master guides vhaving index-tabsfaportion of the.' lsub-master' guides-difering-m apanda thirdy group of guides' associated with each of the guides in the aforesaid portion offsubema'ster guides.

3. Inv a "vertical lile',`- -af group of master' ranged 'between two' of lthe master guides,

guides being providedwithguides having alined'index tabs,v subemaster guides between two" ofthe master Guides,`

certain of the sub-master guides having in,- dex tabs arran ed at a lowerlevel than the' indexl tabs onA l'emaster guidesand the remaining subfmaster guides having" index tabs arranged at thesame level yas the tabs on themaster guides but out of alinement therewithyand a third group Iof guidesfasson ciated'with one of the master guides. 4. In a vertical file, 'a :group of-mast'er guides having alined indextabs, sub-master guidesb'etween two ofthe lmaster guides.,- certain of the sub-master guides havmg in# at a klower level than: the

last mentioned sub"4 index tabs on the maste.' guides, end the dffeng 'm eppeeenee from the loWeJL` index emeining sub-master guides having index tabs on the sub-meste guides. tabs arranged at the same level as the tabs in testimony whereof, sign this specion the master guides but out of einement cation in the presence of two Witnesses.

theewth, end a third group of guides as y JGHN B. TERRNE. Societeit Wlthl one of the. lest mentioned sub- Witnesses; master guides, said thnd grou o guides EVM. F. FREUDENREICH,

having index talos et the seme eve es but l HARRY S. GMTHER. 

